Considering Going Vegetarian

I'm considering going vegetarian, but I want to make sure I have all the facts right before diving in. Where else better than getting them from people who are vegetarians themselves!

I'd just like to know the difficulties/ease of living this lifestyle and whether or not you'd recommend it to others? I'm living at home, but going off to college soon, where I can make easier, more conscious food decisions. 

Thank you!

I went vegetarian a couple of years ago and it wasn't for moral reasons. For me it was a way to coax myself into a healthier diet and to cut down on eating out (a couple of years ago in Estonia it was near impossible to find decent vegetarian food in restaurants, it's still pretty bad now). I eat milk products and eggs, but not fish or any kind of animal/bird. I guess that classifies me as a parasite:D

The difficulties would be getting enough protein and iron and B-group vitamins (eggs help, a lot), I also took supplements for a while. It was also hard dealing with other people, especially here, where vegetarianism was pretty much unheard of. Friends birthday parties were also hard because some of them only bought/made meat-based snacks and crisps.

Since I'm a student in my hometown, I still live with my mum. It was hard explaining my new choices to my family, but they eventually accepted it and became more accommodating food-wise.

Overall, I feel good about my decision, I started to like veggies a lot more, I learned to cook tasty things, I feel better, my diet has improved and I lost quite a bit of extra weight without too many problems.

If you're not that into meat, I would definitely recommend going vegetarian.

Sorry for rambling, if you have any more questions, ask me:)

I'm one of those people that has not 'gone vegetarian' but simply 'eats vegetarian' out of choice most of the time.  I hate being pigeon-holed.   If your decision is for health, taste preference or budget reasons rather than more deep-seated motives, that might be a way to give it a dry run.  Then you can judge for yourself

How easy or tough it is depends on where you are and what you're prepared to do.  There are some parts of the world where vegetarians are not routinely catered for, for example, so you have to think ahead a little more & be reasonably assertive when on holiday, at social events and dining out if you're to avoid going hungry.  Even where veggies are welcomed with open arms you can find the menu is sadly limited (another Mushroom Stroganoff anyone?)

I'd highly recommend reading up on nutrition and learning to cook (if you don't already).  The biggest potential pitfall of any major dietary change is that you can easily find you're missing out on a) energy (calories) and b) nutrition.  My brother married a vegetarian and managed to gain 20lbs and a scary cholesterol reading within six months because she relied on ready-meals or covered everything with lashings of cheese!  That's the kind of thing you want to avoid.

I've been a vegetarian for six years now and unlike tkah, I did it for moral reasons.

The difficulties: I will not lie. When I first cut out all meat and fish, I had incredibly vivid dreams about eating italian sausages and salmon. It was very hard to keep up with it, but those cravings go away after a month or so. Another problem I still have is, I cannot go out to eat very often unless the place is considered a vegetarian restaurant. A lot of places don't offer very many, if any, vegetarian options, and if they do, they're usually fairly undesirable.

After you get over all of that though, it's smooth sailing. The difficulties also depend on how strict of a vegetarian diet you want to maintain. You could cut out meat and fish. You cut out eggs, although, I find that's personal preferences amongst veggies; some believe it's wrong and some don't.

One thing I'd like to notify you of; no matter what anyone tells you, if you eat fish, you are not considered a vegetarian. Being a pescatarian is an option if you can't cut out fish, and it's an excellent first step to becoming a vegetarian.

Overall, I would definitely recommend it. You're healthier and you're helping animals. After a while it becomes second nature.

Also, tkah and gi-jane gave some wonderful advice. :)

I went vegetarian for a while for moral reasons. My fiancee is vegetarian for almost a year now, and living with him hasn't been too difficult. I really like meat alternatives from the grocery store (the burgers, hamburger crumbles, chicken strips, etc. are DELICIOUS) and eating veggies and fruits more than usual made me feel much healthier. I ended up going back to meat-eating because I felt that I could not make the commitment to being a life-long vegetarian. The only problems you really run across is eating out. Most restaurants nowadays have lots of vegetarian choices, and you can always order menu items without the meat, but you definitely get tempted by the meat entrees you used to eat. I would say all you need is some great self control. I would definitely recommend you at least try it to see if you like it.

I am personally vegan at home and vegetarian/vegan when we go out. I will order vegan if it is available on the menu, we only go places with vegan choices I would say 99% of the time. However once or twice a year we go out with family and they like other kinds of places to eat which are not vegan friendly so I will eat vegetarian at those times. I really do not find it very hard to get protein or any of my vitamins if you are worried you can always get a good veg multi vitamin/mineral. Lots of places are becoming more veg friendly, even chain places like Johnny Rockets and chilies now have veg burgers. We do it for health/environmental reasons, and we have lost weight and feel great. I am down 120lbs in the last 2 years, and am trying to lose the rest of my weight. Good luck!

I was very sick last year and one of my doctors urged me for months to go on a vegan diet because of the health benefits (it is an extremely anti-inflammatory). I finally decided to give it a try and have NEVER felt better in my life. A vegan diet, though hard to maintain, gave me so much energy. As my health was so important to me I stuck to it strickly for several months. After I started to get better and transitioned back into my "real" life / daily routine, I had to make some adjustments but I still try to eat as little animal products as possible. I do eat fish, which is what I almost alway order if I am out at a restraunt. Cheese is my weakness but I try to limit my intake. I've found some great products which I can get easily and use to keep my cooking / diet as vegan as possible (rice milk and cheese which I use when cooking for example). I think the best way to go about changing your diet this way is to make sure you do a lot of research (foods you can / can't eat, where to get them, etc.). Examine your daily life and commit to switching new options in for old ones whever needed.

I am by far no expert on the subject but thought I would like to chime in.

I have been following a diet of no meat for the last `15 or so days. I do eat some dairy, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, so I won't label myself as a vegetarian. I will say I am eating mostly vegetarian as to not offend some of my more strict vegans on this site.  All I can tell you is do what is right for you.

When going out in public at restaurants if you state you are eating vegetarian it will surprise you at the conversationsit will erupt. I got a whole education from a waitress that eats vegetarian, but then found out she eats fish. And she mentioned other different types, those who eat dairy, those who eat fish, those who eat eggs. I'm not opposed to eating eggs myself, by I decided not to eat any animal. This was not a ethical position I have taken it was a dietary desision to see if I would feel better. I tried and tried to do the low carb diets but always found myself failing with the temptation of the starchy foods.

So here I am eating carbs now and loving it. I get to eat fruit, vegetables, grains, even pastas, and whole grain bread, and so far feeling so good.

All I can tell you is do what is right for you, limit or omit what you feel is right for you.

Good luck in your journey.

Mike

I agree with most of the statements here.  The biggest challenge is eating out.  I went vegan in January for ethical reasons.  I avoid going out for meals because playing 20 questions with the waiter is more work than cooking an elaborate meal at home.  If you decide to eat milk and cheese you shouldn't have too much problem though.  You may also find yourself not being invited out for dinner as much as your friends will not know what to serve you.  Learn to be inventive with beans and whole grains, limit sweets(including fruit) and your protein will not be an issue.  I would recommend eating a couple tablespoons of Red Star Nutritional Yeast daily as it is fortified with all the vitamins vegetarians might miss (especially the all important B12).  A word of warning if you go lacto-ovo vegetarian, milk and milk products interfere with the absorbtion of iron.  Don't drink them with your main iron sources for the day.  About.com also has an excellent vegetarian rescource and newsletter.  Great recipes and nutritional advice.  I suggest you check them out.

I've been a vegetarian 30+ years.  My mom even longer.  And my 10 year old son all his life.

We eat lots of nuts and beans.  We never have a problem getting enough protein.  We make a lot of soup, stir fries and some Indian food.  (Discovering Indian food in college was great!  I had been living on salad, beans, and spaghetti too long!)  My downfall has been relying too much on pasta.  A vegetarian diet already has a lot of carbs in fruit, veggies and beans.  I'm happy to see that my daily diet gets a very good rating on Calorie Counter.  I'm still trying to cut the carbs.

Eating out can be hard.  Americans seem to add meat to everything- salad, veggies, meat broth in soup and Spanish rice....  But we usually find something to eat.

Shopping can sometimes be trying.  There are so many animal products.  Is the glycerol from an animal or vegetable source? (i believe it will say vegetable if it is.  I try not to obsess over these things-animal products are everywhere.)  Is there honey in the bread?  I often find a brand I like and stick with it.  There are  many vegetarian options in stores now.  Things are better than 30 years ago when nearly every brand of cracker was made with lard.  My mother eats free range chicken eggs and my son eats cheese pizza at parties.  It helps to be flexible!

People have tried to convince me that a vegetarian diet is not enough.  My son likes to ask them if they would eat their dog.  By the way, I'm happily married to a man who occasionally eats chicken.  Although I Secretly wish he wouldn't!